on this page
They may count towards your income test.
We count any special types of income you or your partner gets as income. This could change how much we pay you.
Special types of income include the following.
Gate takings
This is money you’re paid for selling tickets to:
- enter land such as national parks
- attend Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sports or cultural events.
This is treated as employment income.
If you or your partner gets any share of gate takings, we count it as income. Even if you or your partner gets this money as a lump sum from gate keepings over a period of time, it counts as income for up to 12 months from the date you get it.
Indigenous land use agreements
If you or your partner get money from an Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs), this counts as income for 12 months from the date you get it. Find out more about ILUAs on the National Native Title Tribunal website.
If the money is paid to the community and used for community purposes, this won’t count as individual income.
Native Title claims
If you get money through a Native Title claim, you’ll need to let us know both:
- why you got it
- what you’re using it for.
This is so we can decide if it’s either income or money you get.
If it’s compensation for the loss of use and enjoyment of your traditional lands, it may not count as income or money you get.
Royalties
If someone pays you or your partner in return for mining on Indigenous land, this is a royalty.
If you get the money, it counts as your income.
If the community gets the money, it:
- doesn’t count as income if they use the money for the whole community
- counts as income if they share it among people who plan to keep it for themselves.
Some royalties are for not being able to use and enjoy traditional lands anymore. Let us know if this is the case. The money may not count as income.
Sitting fees
These are fees paid to committee members for attending meetings. Only fees received that exceed the expenses incurred count as income or money you get.
Money you get for travel related costs to go to meetings doesn’t count as income. But if you have money left over to keep, the left-over money counts as income.
For example, if you get $100 for travel but only spend $60, the extra $40 counts as income.
Sale of arts and crafts
If you or your partner work for yourselves selling arts or crafts, the money you get from sales is business income. If we need more information, we may ask you for a tax return or a profit and loss statement. This shows us both:
- the gross amount you got
- what your costs were to make your arts or crafts.
If you sell arts and crafts as a hobby, we treat this income differently. Hobby income is when the activity is only a hobby and you don’t intend to make income, from it. If it’s a hobby, we include the gross amount you get from sales as income without offsetting any costs.
If you share this money with your community, let us know.
Find out more about self-employment or partnership income.